


Lazarus

by 30xf



Series: 201 Days Of X Files [15]
Category: The X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-20 06:51:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4777637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/30xf/pseuds/30xf





	Lazarus

"Hey, thanks again for going with me to Jack's funeral. I don't think I could have gone by myself," Dana Scully says, watching her younger brother Charles pour them each another glass of wine.

He sets the bottle down and pulls his sister close in a side hug, giving her a kiss on the temple before releasing her. "Anytime."

They sit in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the stillness of their mother's kitchen in the early hours of the morning. The rest of the family had gone to bed hours earlier, but Dana and Charles--closest of the Scully children in age and in spirit--stayed up to talk. And drink.

"Remember when we were younger and the liquor cabinet in this house had more variety?" Dana asks, examining the contents of her glass far more closely than necessary. They are on their second bottle of red, the rest of the family having gone through a couple of bottles of white with dinner. On the rare occasions when all the Scully children were in town, their mother always insisted they all stay over.

"That was dad," Charles laughs nostalgically. "Mom was always all about the wine."

Dana smiles, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Silence again before Charles works up the courage to ask, "You gonna tell me what happened to Jack?" His reddish brown hair falls in his eyes and he brushes it away. Though similar in colour, his hair had always been more unruly than Dana's. 

"What do you mean?"

"I know what you told me--that he got shot in some bank robbery--but I know you. There's something you're not telling me," he observes, training his clear blue eyes on his older sister.

Dana sighs and takes a large gulp of wine. "Even if I wanted to explain it, I don't know where I'd begin. I'll just say that I've seen some shit these past few days. Some shit I have no idea how to explain."

Charles nods, knowing his sister well enough to know that she won't say more. "Would it be rude of me to say that I never understood what you saw in that guy?"

Her jaw drops slightly, but she can't hide her amusement. All the same, she punches Charles in the arm, harder than necessary, but much softer than if she'd actually been angry. "Yes, that's rude. The man just died, Charlie. And I did love him, you know."

"Oh I know," Charles allows, rubbing his bicep before taking a drink of wine. "You ever consider seeing a shrink about those daddy issues?"

"Fuck you!" Dana exclaims, louder than she had intended and lands another punch in the same spot, this time hard enough that he'll have a decent bruise in the morning. 

"Ow," Charles laughs, moving his chair a few inches away from his sister and trying to ignore the throbbing in his bicep. "I was just kidding."

"I don't care. My ex just died and you're being an asshole. Besides, you're one to judge, mama's boy. And anyways, Jack wasn't that much older than me."

"I am not a mama's boy," Charles frowns.

"Bull shit!"

"Whatever. That other guy you dated in med school was even older. Remember? The married one you never told mom and dad about?"

"Shut the fuck up, Charlie! I only told you about Daniel when you promised never to speak of him again. And that was not a 'daddy issue' thing. I don't have daddy issues," Dana insists.

Charles is skeptical, but nods. "Anyways, you could do a hell of a lot better than both those guys. I'd almost guarantee that married guy had an unhealthy obsession with you. And Jack always put his work ahead of you."

Dana sets down her glass, observing her brother carefully. "I never knew you were paying such close attention."

"Of course I am. I always have. And it's just sheer luck that some of the guys you've been with haven't gotten their asses kicked by me."

Dana smiles, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I can do the ass kicking on my own."

Charles laughs, rubbing his arm again, "I'm well aware of that."

"Sorry," Dana nods at Charles' arm. He shrugs and smiles. After draining her glass of wine, she runs her fingers through her hair, sighing deeply.

"More wine?" Charles offers, finishing off his own glass.

Dana turns up her nose, "No thanks. I'm already guaranteed a bad enough headache in the morning."

Charles nods, "I can't feel my nose anymore," he tells her, pressing on it with his index finger.

She lets out a genuine laugh. "You never could handle your alcohol very well." Getting up from the table, she takes both glasses and deposits them in the sink. "We better head to bed before mom grounds us."

"Good idea, sista," Charles agrees cheerfully, replacing the cork in the wine bottle. "Only a couple hours until we'll be back at this table having breakfast forced upon us."

Dana winces at the thought, her stomach already protesting the idea of food, while the buzz in her brain tells her it'll be fine. "Good night, little brother," she says, her eyes closed as she stands in the middle of the kitchen with her arms up in preparation for a hug.

Charles obliges, crouching just a little to engulf his sister in a bear hug around her middle. "Good night, Dana," he returns, standing up straight with her still in his arms. She giggles a little as her feet leave the floor and pats him on the back as he sets her back down. 

"Do you ever miss living here?" Dana asks as they make the rounds in the lower half of their mother's house, turning off lights and making sure the doors are locked. 

Charles shrugs, "Sometimes...but then I remember that we all didn't get along when we had to live together."

"You and I always did. And Melissa was usually nice to both of us."

"You're right," he agrees at the bottom of the stairs, both of their voices now a whisper. "I guess it was just Bill that was an asshole."

Dana laughs, but warns, "Don't be mean."

"Fine then, you can share a room with him if we all move back in here."

"Oh god no," she interjects abruptly and they both have to stop halfway up the stairs to control their quiet laughter.

"I hope you realize we're both going to hell."

Dana nods, "It's okay, at least we'll have company then."

"True enough," Charles allows, giving Dana one more hug before they part ways at the top of the stairs.


End file.
